The Road Three Shall Travel
by samb06
Summary: Piper meets and offers support to a young brunette. Years after prison, can she become a better person when she comes face to face with her past?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – So, this is my first attempt at a fan fiction and multi chapter for that matter. I ask you to bear with me.**

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It was a cloudy afternoon and the short brunette dragged her feet up the steps of the public library. Her breathing was uncontrollable and her eyes felt the sting, as she held back the water that threatened to escape her ducts. She swung the double doors wide open and a sigh escaped her lips more loudly than she had expected.

A familiar older woman looked over in annoyance and whispered, "Liz, I've said it before and I'll say it again..." Liz rolled her soft blue eyes, pushed back the sadness that was seconds from enveloping her, concealing it with knowing smirk.

In unison they both said, "Shhh!" Liz let's out a forced laugh, only to continue her taunting.

"You're mighty feisty for a crypt keeper librarian! Sometimes I ask myself if every newly issued library card feeds some youth into the shriveled soul of yours," she said gulping back that dry feeling that was left, after having to swallow every emotion from a while ago. With an over dramatic expression of shock, "God, you're a smart ass!" The woman said as soft as possible to the teen who was now shaking off a tattered puffy jacket. "Oh Meredith! It was a joke," she said.

As a sign of scolding appeared on the librarians face, Liz's took it as her cue to walk away.

She walked down an isle, grabbed the first book her fingers were able to get a firm grasp on. It was almost a game she played, like any book she read would help her forget how unfair life had been. Sluggishly, she approached a cubical area, plopped herself down in the furthest corner possible. There was no one there beside an Asian guy, collegiate type. There, two rows over was the usual blonde-in her 30s wearing a denim jacket over a plain white V-neck and black skinny jeans - burying herself in a white sheet of paper.

The brunette untucked the book from under her arm to see what it was. The Fault in Our Stars. "Fuck me!" She thought, as there couldn't have been a worse book-or most accurate book-than that. She smiled that kind of defeated smile as life always has a way of tugging at your arm as to remind you that you can never forget. She had lost her mother to cancer before she was able to recite the alphabet in front of prideful eyes; before she was able to use her lap to drown her tears after suffering her first heartbreak; before she was able bring home college applications and fill them out together. She was sixteen and lost her mother before she ever even knew what it meant to have one, to need one, to want one. Her father left as quickly as her mom did, but his abandonment was driven by choice, or fear.

She was all alone. That is all she had ever known.

Suddenly, all the missed opportunities of memories she'd never have, began flooding her mind. She didn't realize how loudly she began to sob until she felt the weight of a gentle hand press against her back. The voice was soft, yet full of assurance, "Its okay. Let it out. Trust me. You'll be alright, kiddo." Obedient to the unknown voice, Liz bit down on the strings of her hooded sweater and released all the pain; the sobs turned into a slight shriek, then silence, as her breathing became labored, she quivered. After minutes passed and she slowly calmed, she was momentarily distracted by the smell of vanilla scent trailing from the blonde that had been face deep in thought moments prior.

Liz turned to face the blonde and was met with ghostly blue eyes that held a glassy appearance. Her eyes were blue, the shade was desolate; as if sadness and emptiness came together to cloud them. The blonde stared back at young blue eyes- moments passed before Liz was able to regain some composure, and began, "Th-thank you fo-" she was unable to finish.

The blonde looked bewildered by this unexpected interaction and quickly got to her full length- instinct kicked in- she turned around and bolted out of the library. In her frantic escape she left a trail of scattered papers and a single white envelope only a few feet from Liz's chair. The creaking of the double doors echoed back toward Liz as the figure of the blonde had vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Liz, still in shock at the blondes action, forgetting her own sadness, raced through the last few seconds trying to grasp what had happened. "What went wrong? What did I do? Who...why..." she thought, with her mouth agape, unable to sort out her own thoughts and questions. She was quickly brought back to actuality as she saw the older librarian, Meredith, picking up some sheets left behind by the woman.

She immediately snapped to the envelope near her seat. She picked it up. It was white, or had been when it was originally purchased and filled with whatever content it had. There were smudge marks all over, some creases that time had left on the edges. Blotches caused smearing, so Liz only made out the 'P' and followed by what she deciphered as being the last name on the bottom right recipient corner. At the top left, there were only two capitalized letters. She gathered her belongings along with the blonde woman's papers and envelope and rushed out the door. The temptation to read it overcame the teen, but soon faded with the need to catch up to the blonde.

She wasn't sure if she would have any luck, but Liz had to try. Once she hastily conquered the steps she saw only one way where the woman could have gone and instantly her step became more aggressive, more urgent as if she were running toward a new safe haven. She saw the denim jacket and started, "Hey! Yo, blondie, you dropped your shit!" To this, the woman turned a quick glance from her peripheral to Liz, but continued her hurried steps. Liz almost gave up, but something told her that woman needed someone to talk to, to open up to. They both did.

"Fuck! Come on, don't you know us New Yorkers live busy lives? P Chapman, you're being a real horses ass!" That. The sound of hearing her last named- _**Chapman**_ \- called out in such form, as if her first name didn't exist. _**Horse's ass**_ **.** That, too, did something to Piper. It took her aback, stunned her; cemented her right in her tracks. She felt a punch in the gut as she was hit with a memory of her caged life from a few years ago.

Piper Chapman stood in front of an adolescent brunette, in the middle of New York City. Her mind suddenly groggy as she was transported elsewhere…with a different brunette.

 _"No. Not for a second. I loved you, I loved having sex with you," she states matter of factly. A mischievous smirk made an appearance, pausing for a moment to give Piper enough time to travel quickly through flashes of a certain brunette's soft red lips against her skin._

 _She regained composure as Alex continued, "And more importantly, I am not suggesting that I want you back, you Park Slope narcissist. I mean for you to come around like an actual human being. And not with some hollow bullshit apology, or that cute little sad face that might work on your fucking boyfriend." She reminded herself not falter at Alex's hint of jealousy._

 _"I've been waiting for you to come around, and treat me like an actual human being and realize what a fucking horse's ass you've been." In hearing Alex's admission Piper had two choices: let the warm feeling beginning to course from her cheeks throughout her being, or release all her repressed anger. Of course, she chose to unleash her well-known hot temper toward the tall brunette._

 _"I've been a horse's ass?" Piper asked infuriatingly. Yes, she had given Alex a hard time since she'd gotten to prison. Alex just had a way of making Piper react to an extreme. Either love, or hate, but always with the full committal of passion._

" _Fuck, yeah!" Alex now more aware of what her words were doing to the blonde. Knowing how her words would get a rise out of Piper and she braced herself to what unthinkable thing her former lover would do._

 _Rage burned in Piper's eyes, " Fuck you! And this dryer," here she was. Piper Chapman. Piper Chapman banging and kicking a dryer. Piper Chapman under the effects of Alex Vause._

 _While kicking and punching she said, "This fucking shitty piece of goddamn dryer! Dryer!" unsure if her anger and aggression toward the dryer stemmed from Alex offending her, or Alex not intending on winning her back._

 _A husky male voice could be heard by both," So abusive," and earning a gasp from the brunette._

After moments of watching the older blonde paralyzed, staring off into the distance, Liz decided to grab her by her shoulders and shake her as she said, "Chapman, snap the fuck out of it you weirdo!"

Piper had regained a grasp of her present time and Liz was oblivious.

"Okay, maybe you're AV, is that it?" Liz asked while holding a hand to her head and squeezing her eyes shut out of frustration and confusion with the situation.

"No," Piper said, as the sudden pressure in her chest became hard to avoid at the mention of the love of her life's initials, "I'm not AV. Chapman was correct. Piper Chapman."

"Ah, you seemed too stuck up for cool initials like 'AV.' Chapman sounds like money," Liz stated with a taunting smirk toward her new older acquaintance.

"Name's Liz. I won't give you a last name because stranger danger, duh!"

Piper extends her hand out and grasp the young brunette while letting out a small chuckle.

"Ha! You ran after a stranger. You're looking to get kidnapped. Well, not that I will…because I won't. I'm not…" Piper shakes her head in an attempt to stop her rambling.

The young girl interrupted the awkward moment, "Anyway, are we friends now, or what? We both freaked the out. We're like two peas in a pod."

Piper smiles a whole hearted smile, for the first time in what seems like an eternity, pushing her shoulders back as if to rid herself of all apprehension, "Sure. Friends."

She wasn't sure why she felt this strange familiarity toward the teen. Some underlying sadness brought them together. Kismet, almost, and God knows how much Piper can use someone to talk to, even if that someone was half her age.

"So, on to an obvious question," Liz began as they walked back toward the steps of the public library.

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 **There it is. Let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N This chapter took a long time for me to publish. I do apologize. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed this story. It means a lot. Quick mention of self harm in this chapter :(**

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

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It had been over a week since her encounter with Liz. The young girl was quite persistent in keeping daily communication with the blonde. When she thought back to the day, she remembered the mention of those initials resurfaced tormenting thoughts of her ex girlfriend. Every day she saw the young brunette she would always ask, "Are you ready to answer?" The curious teen wouldn't let it go. Piper knew this, but she tried prolonging the conversation as long as she could. It almost entertained her as she counted the seconds upon their greeting before Liz would burst out randomly, "Who's AV?"

Everything always led her back to a tall raven-haired woman. After Alex's recovery and return to Litchfield there wasn't much contact between the two. Piper, not fully herself, made an attempt at addressing what she had done to Alex. The tall woman forced herself to listen, but the damage was irrevocable. Piper made an attempt to justify herself, but it all came out as a weak apology, Alex accepted it in an even weaker manner. As days went by, their glances dissipated, they seldom spoke. They avoided their presence at all cost, much to everyone's understanding. On one of the last glances they shared, they both winced at the frigidness; they lost their magnetic pull toward each other, they welcomed it in silence. Piper still thought back to it, she wished she could have tried, wished she wouldn't have given up on the love of her life, but there was no point in her trying if she was still damaged goods.

She often times scared away her nightly slumber as her thoughts grew louder and more chaotic with every tick of the clock. She let her past mistakes consume her, as she rummaged internally for answers to her actions that led her here, lying on a mattress which sat on the carpet of a rundown empty room. Alone.

This is what the blonde did. She either kept eyes open all night looking and thinking and drinking, a lot of drinking to seize the thoughts. When she granted herself sleep, she wound up dreaming, but dreaming backwards. She traveled back in her dormant state only to find events she wished had happened differently. She dreamt up memories where she never walked away, or where she refrained from saying something in an outburst of anger, or fear. Everything would haunt her.

Piper had spent the past few years trying to move on from the life she lived in Litchfield. Now, no longer a prisoner, she attempted to find herself- her true self-away from the skin she shed during Litchfield and the skin she shed from WASPy expectations which, albeit, were her first form of incarceration. She managed to sustain some form of communication with Polly and Larry. Whether she'd go over to visit Finn, or they would meet somewhere for lunch. Piper knew they weren't completely to blame and had to find a way to slowly rectify her wrong doing with things which were still within her reach. Sometimes their happiness suffocated her, so she avoided them as much as possible.

To her, silence was comforting, alcohol was numbing and loneliness was all consuming. She could think back to countless times where a bottle of tequila filtered the ugly layer of her mind, and inflicting a physical form to her emotional pain relieved the dark haze leaking through her incumbent mind. The latter, she chose to never return to, as it always made her feel like she was less of a human with each press of an object to the supple skin of her inner thighs.

Her thoughts had begun to agitate her being, transforming her mind into a whirlwind of anger and helplessness. She sat up at the edge of her mattress with the palms pressed tightly against her eyes, shaking her head in a frenzy. The blonde's hands migrated to her hair, gathering a hand full in her hands and pulling as her eyes stung with the tears that began to surface and pour out without any grace. She took made her way to the counter in search of a bottle to comfort her for the night. Her hand landed on a bottle, but her eyes landed on a different object.

Piper suddenly felt a sense of peace scare off the anguish she was feeling as her thoughts were taking control. A smile broke across her face releasing the bottle and contracting to her face wiping away the wet trails from her cheeks. She sniffed loudly, took a moment to compose herself as to not want anything to taint the object on the opposite side of the counter. Her hand gently grazed over it. Her smile grew wider as she thought back to the day she sat in a cubical, tightly sardined in with the young brunette who worked tirelessly on a bookmark while Piper read Inferno by Dante Alighiere.

The older woman leaned against the counter with the blue bookmark in hand. She pictured Liz's weary facial expression as she presented her with the gift and she felt warmth drizzle over her. Piper stared straight at the drawing the teen made on the bookmark- a coffee cup wearing parachute pants, gold chain and sunglasses while music notes covered the background, the words ' _Stop! Coffee Time!'_ written toward the bottom. Hysterical laughter escaped the blonde's lips catching herself off guard.

"Shit, that kid never fails!" She said aloud, realizing how ridiculous she felt every time she laughed at such a silly thing. Suddenly, the weight of immense loneliness was lifted, Piper headed over to her mattress. She lay completely still, bookmark in hand, a smile kissed her face goodnight and disappeared as it made way for sleep to posses her for the remainder of the night.

"God, you sit like a morbidly obese woman!" The blonde attempted to find comfort while not disturbing the teens form.

To this, Liz let out a chuckle while dropping her head against her chair. "Obesity is a serious problem in America, Piper!" Noticeable discomfort reigned over the blonde, "Why do you do that?" Liz asked.

Do what?" Piper shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"You say something and wait for disappointment to spill from my mouth. Stop being so critical over your thoughts. Remember when we walked past the park and that weird guy tried flirting with you and he asked how we felt 'this fine day,'" Liz raised her head and shifted to her side to face the older woman, "and I said like not being bothered by men with bad breath?"

Piper snorted a laugh, "I do remember. His breath smelled like rotten cabbage. I had to apologize on your behalf. Your point?"

"I don't remember. Maybe I was trying to say that you shouldn't give a shit and say what you want without being afraid of what others will think. Just have fun."

"Look at you being all wise!" The blonde stated in a mocking tone, pinching Liz's cheeks.

"No, Wait! My point was to never speak to anyone who's breath smells like rotten cabbage. Forget all the 'be yourself' bullshit, it was just a filler." Both placed their hands over their mouths to muffle their laughter.

"Let's get out before we get kicked out of the library for good. Burgers for lunch? My treat since you seem to always grab my coffee on your way here." Piper had been met with a cup of coffee at the cubicle. The teen managed to memorize how the woman drank her coffee.

"Sounds like a plan!" The girl gathered her belongings and they made their way to the busy streets.

It had been years since Piper thoroughly enjoyed a walk outside. When she found herself walking in the company of the younger girl, she felt so at peace with herself. They walked in synchronization and she could not help but notice the young blue orbs light up at the smallest thing; sometimes it was caused by a bird eating the remnants of pizza, sometimes by the way she seemed to enjoy caressing the pedals of flowers at the park, or even when wind blew her hair toward her face. Liz seemed to enjoy the smaller things in life and it brought Piper to a state of admiration toward the teen.

They headed toward the park while enjoying their meal. Once finished, Piper began, "So, do your foster parents ever question where you are? I mean, you're on Summer vacation, but still."

"Look, they don't care. They get their check every two weeks for having me sleep on their dirty ass floor, they give me a cut for spending money and pay for my dump of a cell phone." Liz swallowed hard as the tension gathered in her throat threatening to break her.

Piper noticed the brunette's smile waiver, "What about your biological parents?"

Blue youthful eyes filled with tears as the owner's mouth choked out, "My mom...she died...when I was little. My dad chose to drown himself in alcohol and drugs than to make an attempt to keep me." Tears broke through their restrictions and ran down Liz's face without mercy.

Piper stood stunned at what she had just heard. She realized this was the reason behind the sobs of the girl when they first met not long ago. Her instinct-because she wasn't good at dealing with emotional chaos-was to run as fast as she could from the teen; to allow her old habit to possess her feet and make a quick exit out of her life. Somehow, she snuck a glance at this broken down girl. The sorrow resonating from Liz's water filled eyes, took Piper to a distant memory of the dreadful day when she saw Alex utterly devastated at the news of her mother's passing. Something about Liz reminded her so much of Alex. In the troubled, quiet suffering in their eyes and the cocky, tough exterior which made people notice them, even envy them.

Back then, she walked away from her love, without an ounce of hesitation in that moment. Now, right now, Piper found herself overwhelmed with a need to comfort.

Instead of doing what she did best, she stayed. She sighed deeply, and wrapped Liz in a warm embrace. A feeling washed over her as she felt the urge to be a motherly protective figure for this girl. She never thought she'd need to be, nor want to be.

"I'm here." That's all the blonde was able to say. They stood like this until the brunette's whimpers subsided, until Piper's hold morphed into the most sincere attempt. The older woman held her until her mind erased the process of running away and Liz accepted the grasp as she simultaneously accepted that it was Piper and her and everything else. Two damaged and fragile people who needed someone had just made a silent promise.

Liz sniffed and ran her hand in circles on her eyes to flush out the evidence of tears as she began to detach from Piper's hold. Looking up with a weak but devious smile. "Now can you tell me who AV is?" Earning a hearty laugh from the tall blonde who wiped moisture from her own eyes, adjusted her jacket as they paced toward the empty bench near a tall shady tree.

Piper slumped down to a seated position while sighing deeply. Not sure if it was to distract the young brunette joining her, or because for once she felt a necessity to speak, a pounding in her chest pumped out the force that her mouth would need to begin.

"Alex was the love of my life," the woman began and smiled at the eager attentiveness of her listener. "We lived this life where we traveled around a lot and just enjoyed life. I don't think I will ever feel that way with anyone. We just had this amazing connection."

Liz furrowed her eyebrows. "So, what happened? Why aren't you guys married and shit?"

Piper rolled her eyes at the teen's need to curse excessively. The fear and nervousness she felt toward speaking to anyone about her ex-girlfriend had all but vanished. "We did some messed up things to one another. Somehow, we were always faced with obstacles. We went about it the wrong way. I fucked up the most, would always run away and never took responsibility for my actions."

"Tell me everything about him! I need to know everything about your Nicholas Sparks novel!" An eager brunette exclaimed with glimmer in her eyes.

The blonde debated whether to correct the girl in her assumption that Alex was a he, but the sun had begun to hide it's light and time was not on their side. "Tell you what, next time we meet I'll tell you everything."

"Come fuckin on!" Liz retorted while raising and instantly dropping her arms to her side in frustration.

"Geez you have a trucker's mouth! Let's meet here on Wednesday instead of the library. I'll tell you everything. Everything! And its worth it!" Piper wiggled her eyebrows nudging at the teen as her voice sounded overly animated with a grin plastered on her face.

"Like everything including Rated M shit? I'll be here." She joked as she rose to her feet and Piper followed her as well. "I'll meet you here with your usual coffee from hell." She would constantly make fun of the woman's coffee order. It was a typical waspy order. Non synthetic this, organic that, all health freak jargon for her, but she made an attempt to remember Piper's order.

Liz had spoken the words while turning her back and walking away sluggishly from the blonde. She was brought to a halt by a hand on her jacket sleeve when she realized Piper had followed with steps. Piper did the unexpected, to both their surprise she extended both arms opening them as gates to a realm neither were fond of-sentiment. The woman's smirk with a tilt of her head deemed genuine by the teen.

In fake annoyance on the exterior and extreme joy in the interior Liz rushed toward Piper and welcomed the hug. Piper smiled as she tossed Liz's brunette locks with a free hand. "It won't be Rated M you creep. Maybe R!" They both released a giggle that conjoined much to their amusement. Piper finished her sentence as they parted once more in separate directions, "Be careful, kiddo! Call me if you need anything. If you forget my coffee, you won't live to see sixteen, got it?"

"Got it!" Liz yelled from the edge of the side walk.

They both left with a sense of calm and liberation haloing above them.

Wednesday morning came slower than usual for Liz. Since Monday's events had transpired, the brunette couldn't wait for the arrival of Wednesday. There was happiness and anxiousness as every second spilled forward for her. Every past Summer vacation was spent in an abundance of boredom, but this one was different, hopeful even. She awoke that morning to quickly get ready, settling for denim shorts and a white V-neck. Gathering her money and cell phone, she took rapid short steps exiting her house as the yelling drowned in the distance with each step she conquered.

Before she knew it she arrived at the coffee shop just blocks away from the park to complete her first task of the day; coffee for Piper. She shut her eyes in an effort to remember as she recited the order for 'a healthy and organic drink from the heavens' as the older woman called it whenever Liz would make fun of her for having such a complicated order. The young girl was always amused by the hateful glares of whoever was preparing the drink. She sighed as she thought _yuppie blonde_ with less agitation and more so admiration toward the woman's insistence on all things organic.

Just as she began to worry she'd be running late, her order was call out, "Blue!" She smiled at the nickname she'd try out for Piper today-she always changed it to see Piper's reaction as she was presented with her coffee-as she walked forward placing a sleeve as she rushed toward the door.

In that instance, in her eagerness to exit, she collided with a figure entering the shop in the same rush. The cup of coffee was smashed between the two and scorching hot coffee caused Liz to squeal in pain.

"Fuck me," is all the young brunette heard coming from the figure in front of her, covered in coffee.

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 **Hope this chapter was enjoyable. Again, sorry for the delay. Who do you guys think Liz burned with piping hot coffee? Who would you want it to be? Leave reviews and comments. I'd appreciate it :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Let's just pretend I haven't just been away from this story for nearly two years. To that one person reading: here you go!**

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"Fuck me," is all the young brunette heard coming from the figure in front of her, covered in coffee.

The woman's face is covered by her jet black hair as she looks down attempting to pull her soaked shirt away from her skin. She began to raise her head, becoming more visible to the teen. Liz's eyes widened at the taller woman's contorted face as it shifted back and forth between anger and pain.

" _This shit can't be happening to me_ ," she thinks as her mind races a mile a minute thinking of how to ease the visibly tense woman.

"Shit! I am so sorry. I- I wasn't paying attention...the coffee took forever...I was running late...I rushed...she's going to be pissed. I should-" the young girl was quickly interrupted by the anger induced words of her casualty.

"Maybe, if you learned to be on time and fucking paid attention to what you were doing, this wouldn't be happening!" Her voice was husky. It was rough, impacting Liz with a sudden sense of fear.

She had moved from horrendous foster homes throughout her early years. Her clumsiness had only left her with bruises and the occasional scars- both from the incidents and the not so happy foster parents whose patience always fell short, making her an easy target. She was stunned where she stood, awaiting the retaliation of the woman in front of her.

At this time the older woman's green eyes met blue and it stopped her from continuing her rage. Her eyes seemed so innocent, stirring within her a sense of familiarity at the scene. The sunken bottom lip that accompanied the girl did the woman in. Regret began to sink in and it was time to right her wrong.

"Look," she said, her voice sounding less husky as her tone changed, "It's okay kid. Stop rambling and looking like Bambi before I get a heart murmur." She flashed Liz a smile as she shook the droplets of coffee off of her leather jacket.

The blue eyed girl couldn't help but feel the tension dispel, the longer she stared into the warm green orbs. She couldn't help wince in pain as the cool air contrasted with the heat of her skin. The raven haired woman gestured for her to follow as they walked through the coffee shop and down a narrow corridor. The woman hit her back on the door and pushed back swinging the restroom door open with enough space for Liz to slide into.

"You really did a number on us!" The taller woman wrung her own shirt and motioned Liz to do the same with hers. They stood in silence for a while, attempting to improve the condition of their shirts, using the hand dryer to dry up the rest. All Liz mustered was a faint, "mmhmm" with an apologetic look adorning her face.

Suddenly, as they near the end of their task and the teen heard the husky laugh. "I'm pretty sure I have third degree burns all over my stomach." The woman now shaking her head in disbelief.

"Well, it could've been worse." The girl offered, cracking a small smile from the right corner of her lips.

The older woman narrowed her eyes, "Oh. How so?"

Liz isn't sure she should've made the comment, but she realized too late and the words have vacated her mouth, "Umm, I could have spilled a cup of...of acid." Her voice ended in a shaky whisper as she stammered through her statement.

The older brunette stopped a moment to turn and face the girl. She was completely baffled by the comment and doesn't speak for what seems like an eternity. "Sorry. I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me sometimes." Liz brings her hands to run through her thick black locks.

The woman let out a booming laugh while pointing at Liz. "Maybe you have Turrets. You need to get that checked out, or maybe not because it's pretty fucking amusing!" She laugh at the teen while shaking her head.

"Well thanks for the honesty, I guess," she said gratified that the woman was able to laugh off the ridiculous statement.

"I'm Alex. I'd shake your hand, but you might manage to hurt me somehow!" A smug grin plastered on her face that the young girl seemed to stir both joy and frustration within her.

"My name is Liz. You're tall. Has anyone told you that? Or the fact that your grin/ eyebrow thing is really annoying? It's like you're mocking me in the worst way possible."

"Yeah, I've been told I'm tall. As for the rest, yep! Makes people lose their shit. Plus, I **am** mocking you so it's really effective. So, I'm taking it as a compliment. Wait, unless you have a jar of acid on you because that changes everything!" Her eyebrow quirked up and her mouth hung wide open in a playful manner. Liz shook her head and rolled her eyes as she made her way out of the restroom as Alex followed.

They were walking when she began to panic. " _Fuck. Piper! Fuck!"_ is all she thought. "I need to go. She's going to be so pissed off!"

"Hey kid, relax," Alex said resting her hand on Liz's forearm, "tell **her** that there was a mishap and you'll be there a little late. We'll order the coffee and if it's not too far I'll walk with you. No big deal." The teen felt so in peace at the soothing tone of her new acquaintance. She didn't even care to stop and notice how she did exactly as she was told. She pulled out her phone and typed out a quick message to Piper, deciding she wasn't brave enough to hear the blonde unleash her temper over the phone while Alex stood there and listened. Liz wouldn't take anymore embarrassment.

They were able to order the coffee and walk out in record time now pacing rapidly through the main street leading to the park.

"Thanks for the coffee and the pep talk. I really need it when it comes to my friend. Blondy and her annoying ass temper. If you only knew! She's like on a whole other level of bat shit crazy." Alex examines the girl- her raven hair resembling her own, the one dimple that formed as her teeth left exposed for all to witness through her smile and those blue eyes. If everything didn't turn out so fucked up she pictured this young girl being a perfect combination of her and her former girlfriend. A warm smile crept onto her lips.

"Oh, I know bat shit crazy! My ex was textbook definition. I mean my reflexes are so damn amazing thanks to all the plates and mugs I dodged for being an asshole at the wrong moment, or showing up late for dinner because of work." Her stomach turned in a slow agonizing manner while her mind swirled with thoughts of her former love.

"Women," said the young girl.

Alex furrowed her eyebrows, "How did you know she was a woman?"

"I can read it all over you. The way you carry yourself just screams hot lesbian. Plus, no dude would throw dinnerware. That's a girl move."

"Hot lesbian? I still got it!" She winked and the familiar sly grin made its reappearance.

Liz said, "she sounds like a raging bitch."

"Excuse you! She was hot, had a hell of an aim when pissed and she's read everything. She was my perfect raging bitch. She has your friend beat." Her chest filled with pride emphasizing the ' **my** ' part, but quickly deflated. That was all in the past; Piper was no longer hers and that wasn't going to change.

They continued their march down the street, bobbing and weaving through the crowd. The strange sensation of comfort radiated between both of them, managing to talk about books their entire trip.

"I swear! I have every book you can possibly think of. Let's exchange info. I have this interview for some work stuff, but we can meet up for coffee and I'll bring some books. If you're ever interested." Liz agrees with a nod, reaching out for Alex's phone and typing in her number as they reach the west entrance of the park.

"If anyone told me I'd get to a point in my life where I'd be trying to befriend a child, well I'd tell them **fuck NO!** " She huffs in admiration of her own pathetic tone, "Ain't life somethin!" The older woman was saving the contact info when she noticed Liz turn around.

The young woman sighed in relief, seeing the blonde standing by a bench facing the fountain so that her peripheral was the only thing visible. Her hooded sweater hung loosely on her form and she smiled knowing the Piper's new hoodie resembled her favorite one. She looked back at Alex and stared for a while, watching the older woman try to catch a full glance of the girl's companion.

 _Maybe these two need friends_ her smile grew impeccably large at the idea. "Hey Alex do you want to meet-" the loud ring denied her the ability to finish her invitation.

The persistent ringing derailed any attention the raven haired woman had assigned for the girl. "Sorry kid, I really have to rush out. Work opportunity and I really really need to pick this up. See ya when I see ya! I'll text you soon." Alex raised a hand apologetically as her heels shift her in the opposite direction of the park.

Liz remained in place for a moment as she watched the woman get lost in the crowd.

* * *

"Well well well! Look who decided to grace me with her fuckin presence." Piper stood, crossing her arms clearly annoyed by Liz's tardiness.

She tried to ease the tension and calm the blonde woman's temper, "Geez, language, lady!" She smiled that goofy smile that always managed to break Piper's tough exterior.

"Blue, I had a little run in with some woman," she points to her shirt, "literally!"

Piper put her anger aside and decided to go on this strange maternal tirade,"who was it? How dare she! Are you okay? Liz, we need to take you to a doctor right now!" She couldn't help feel this sense of anguish, she knew it was ridiculous, but Liz spent her whole life alone and she was hell bent on changing that.

"Relax, no one has died from coffee burns...I think…," Liz tried to make a joke. It failed. She spent the next few minutes watching a worried Piper look through her phone, searching for answers.

"See, Siri says there have been cases of injuries. This lady sued McDonald's because of it. No deaths, though, so you won't die, which is good." The blue eyed woman looks up from her phone at Liz. There's this look that made the young woman feel like she genuinely cared. That look penetrated her barrier of reluctance to allow herself to rely on anyone, ever.

"Good. I was worried I was going to die, but now that Siri says I won't die, because that was clearly on the table this whole time, we can all relax," she rolls her eyes at the older woman. She continued, "plus, how can you trust a thing that kept offering you search results for _coffee buns._ Those sound delicious by the way!" The blonde chuckled throughout the teens discourse on how she was overreacting and how technology will eventually end all humanity.

"Uuf! I thought I was bad. You just hijacked my ridiculous worry and took us on this conspiracy theorist paranoia shit." She sat back on the bench leaning her head back letting out a sigh. It had been years since she found a reason to care, but the fragile young woman resonated with her. Some familiarity of her past mixed with some hope for her future stood here, in the shape of a child.

Liz sat next to the woman in silence, trying to focus on not feeling the stinging that began to course through her stomach. The woman shook her head deciding to shift the conversation. "Thanks for the coffee," she said smiling gently.

"Eh, it was nothing. Only almost lost my torso, but you know, the queen has her coffee."

"It was worth it!" She giggles watching her companion fake a heart attack.

"So?" The raven haired teen sat wide eyed with anticipation.

"Right. Story time!" Piper shifted uncomfortably attempting to find the words to begin to tell her story, "I met Alex at a bar a **very** long time ago. At first it was this exciting thing I was trying out, this post-college phase. Alex worked for an international drug cartel and I tagged along for trips and dinners and all sorts of adventures. It was after every fight we had where either of us walked away thinking it was over that I felt this discomfort, this sinking hole in a bottomless pit of nothingness that I knew it was love. I would run back every time and we made up the only way we knew how," she wiggled her eyebrows at the teen who huffed over the skipping of the obviously important details, "Until I walked away one day, Left Alex and that part of my life behind."

Liz threw her arms up in the air and allowed them to drop, "That's it? That was the big Alex Vause story?"

"No, I saw Alex years later. When she sent me to prison." Piper chewed on her bottom lip, gaze lowered to the ground. There it was, that sinking hole feeling. Except, she doesn't want to run from it, mask it somehow, she allows herself to feel it.

The teen looked on in astonishment. She tried speaking a few times, but she was trying to wrap her head around those words **her** and **prison.** _Piper has been to prison because of her girlfriend…._ her thoughts were everywhere.

"Piper…" it was almost a whisper, "if you don't want to continue, you don't have to."

Still looking down she said, "I want to."

They spent hours on that bench, Piper finally found the courage to tell her story out loud. She explained her involvement in the cartel without putting all the blame on Alex this time around. She mentioned her time in jail, both counts of cheating with Alex and with Stella. She mentioned Alex getting out and how she brought her back into prison selfishly. The most difficult was having to recount how she pushed Alex away, how they never spoke, how she allowed herself to stop trying and lean on alcohol. She didn't hold back. Liz sat through it all, listening intently, once in a while questioning her, or consoling her. Never once judging her.

"I want you to be better than me. I had it all," she wiped the tears that burn hot trails down her face, "and I threw it away. You, you weren't handed life easily, but that doesn't mean you have a free pass at fucking up and fucking up other people's lives. Understood?"

She hugs Piper with all her strength, "Understood."

"Good! Because I'm here. I'm sticking around to be your worst nightmare. You will be held accountable by me. I'm not your parent...legally, but you will listen."

"I will listen. No way I'm defying a convicted felon." She laughs that hearty laugh, "I will walk a straight line. No that you-" she's interrupted by the blonde.

"Don't. You get the felon joke, but you won't have the gay one" she smirks at the younger woman. "But that was the funnier of the two! How'd that chick look like, anyway? Your drug pusher sex goddess," she asked stretching her legs out on the bench.

Piper takes a sip of the now cold coffee, she closes her eyes imagining every time an emerald eyed beauty left her breathless, "She was tall, alabaster skin, beautiful green eyes hidden behind these secretary glasses, dark black hair,' she savors something in her mouth, but she can't quite assure it's the coffee that elicits that reaction, "she was intelligent, cocky, and loving...to me, an asshole to anyone. Her in a bad mood meant this scary glare. She was….is the whole package. If you ever saw her you'd know what I mean, she has this hot lesbian look."

 _Wait..._ Liz can't help think back to the woman from the coffee shop. _Her name was Alex. She was fucking tall. No, no way in hell that's possible._ She considers voicing her thoughts, but she let's Piper go on until she's done. Pushing her farfetched ideas back to paranoia ville.

Both of them eventually pull their bodies away from the bench, away from the heaviness of their conversation. They each go their own way when the sun begins to show signs of its departure.

There's that thought again, creeping back into Liz's mind on her way home. She checks her phone immediately feeling anxious. _If she never texts me, I'll never be able to find out for sure…_

* * *

 **I will finish this story. I will.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Let's compare commitment issues. I bet I'll win. I have this story to prove it!**

* * *

She's been walking the busy streets of New York for God knows how long, aimlessly allowing the freedom to seep through every one of her pores. Still, years later, it all seems so new to her. Alex has been trying to find herself in a world where drugs were not an option. Her experiences in prison changed her. She felt like there were new bones forming inside her from every memory, shifting in positions that forced her to take on a new skeleton; to be a new person.

She always felt like an island. Like Alcatraz. No one ever wanted to visit, no one ever wanted to stay, but her conditions are changing. Learning to live, not only to survive. Maybe willing for people to visit, maybe even stay.

Going to AA meeting after her release made her realize how she wanted to help others. So, she began volunteering, took a few courses and managed a certificate in drug abuse counseling. Just today she heard back after her interview last week, she got the job with the organization she had been volunteering for and wanted to celebrate. She hears a loud chime as she's walking and looks up. Coffee! Quickly, she pulls out her phone and sends a message continuing to enjoy her.

000000000

They're in too deep now. The pottery class was probably the last place she would have wanted to end up, but it wasn't her turn to pick and this seems like the most normal thing she will have a chance to do. She hears the buzzing noise of her phone go off at the edge of the table and Piper eyes it closely, "My money's on it falling" she hears the blonde say, and she's fighting the urge to give in and grab it, knowing well enough that her hands are a mess. "I have no money so, there's that!"

"I told you it would be fun! Now, you can check it off your list!"

"Thanks, Martha Stewart."

Liz checks her phone and to her surprise, it was the message she had been waiting for. "Finally!" and it slips out, disturbing Piper's train of thought as she's finishing cleaning up, "What?" She walks over to the younger girl and throws her bunched-up paper towel. Liz, deflecting it, begins to adjust her sweater, "Nothing, just some info I was waiting on. I have to go"

She's bolting past the door and Piper's left with an **okay** staggered on her lips. She remembers when she hated loneliness, but she has been filling herself with all things Liz. She bought a few parenting books and read blogs about dealing with teenagers. Becoming a mom was never on her priority list, it probably never really cracked her top 50. However, things changed with the arrival of the young brunette in her life. Liz told her about her journey in foster care and the horrid people she encountered. This made her want to find stability, seek maturity for the sake of the teen. Fragments of an idea began to surface in her mind every day, but she couldn't bring herself to fully form it, to say it without figuring out her issues first. Then, research. Lots and lots of research. Perhaps, if Liz agreed, they can piece it together.

00000

"I got you hot chocolate because I don't think you need any added energy, kid," she says, her voice has a pep in the rasp that she can get used to. She can see that mocking smirk from behind the book _Essays in Love_. The brunette's smile is filled with pride.

They manage to spend a few hours in the bookstore/coffee shop. They talk about Liz's life and Alex sees a familiarity in her eyes, that sense of drowning that she once felt, from when she was a child. They quickly bond over the loss of their mothers and a rope of abandonment lassos their bond tightly. We can all remember a moment when something begins; this is the moment they'll both remember.

00000

Liz spends her Summer vacation juggling between Alex and Piper. The way she diverts any attention to what she does when they both ask, she doesn't do it on purpose. Not completely at first, but when Alex tells her about the love of her life, she knows that it's best to keep it to herself. _It's not time for them, yet_ she thinks, every time guilt seeps through. But it's so easy for her to fall into these friendships. She can see how they would compliment one another. _Not yet, not yet._

00000

"I never had a game console. I don't think I'll ever have a foster family that will care enough to get me one, but it seems interesting to play something you're not" she kicks a tennis ball as they walk past the busier part of the park.

"You're in high school! You don't need a fucking game for that. That my friend, is the game of life" she leaves her mouth hung open with amusement. Liz laughs and it's pretty much all Alex can do to deflect the young girl from feeling inferior to other kids her age. She knows that feeling too damn well. She pushes her glasses to the top of her head, "want to do something better than playing a stupid game?"

"Sure"

….

"Woah! Are you a billionaire and you didn't even care to tell me?"

"Nope, I have savings, but I have a friend and she has the means for this"

It was the first time she had ever been in a helicopter. She was amazed at how much Alex knew; that was her second favorite part, but the way everything looks from up there was the greatest. She sees a message from Piper after she missed two of her calls and realizes she has been waiting this out too long. It's time. She replies **too high, can't pick up. talk later.**

They get off and Liz thanks her for an amazing experience. Alex walks away with a sense of accomplishment. Her phone chimes and she laughs hysterically at the message, **who are you impressing, Vause?**

She should have seen this coming.

00000

 _Too high? What did she mean too high_? It worries her, but she had no right to question her, or reprimand her for anything. Her thoughts are going wild and she shakes off this naggy Carol shtick she's pulling when she spends time with Liz.

Two days. A whole two days for the young blue-eyed girl to set this up. Never has she been a planner, she wasn't going to start today. The older brunette had offered to show her around her job and she jumped on the idea. Perfect timing! If she got Alex to agree to meet her at this address and Piper agreed to have her and her friend over to calm her nerves about whatever crazy momma bear fit she was having, the rest would be easy. _Right?_

….

"Stop pacing. Why are you so anxious?" Piper was spent; an entire day of cleaning up her worn-down apartment. Her hair was up in a messy bun, sweats that were her "comfy clothes."

"Can you just go change! You can't be in sweats. Please, you'll thank me!" Liz pleads one last time and finally the blonde huffs and makes her way to her room. Moments later she returns in a cardigan, jeans and her leather boots. "And you smell good….aaaand you put makeup on. Now, this is perfect," she says as she waves her hands toward Piper as in presenting a gift.

She sees an eye roll and before the woman can ask, Liz takes command, "Look, my friend agreed to meet me here because she invited me to a work thing and it's not too far. She doesn't even know she's meeting you. She probably figures it's my place."

They're in the middle of a staring contest. Piper sense something's off, but she's getting no answers from her. Just then there's a knock on the door and Liz begins to make her way, but Piper cuts her off and opens the door. This is already not going the way the young blonde pictured it. Piper swings the door open and lets out a stifled gasp.

"What the fuck? Piper? Liz?" It sounds raspy, but foreign to both Liz and Piper. Liz appears in Alex's sight, just feet behind Piper and those emerald eyes are fuming. Piper, reacts.

"Liz?" She turns back, there's this sense of anguish as she's looking from her to Alex and Liz can't quite figure it out. "What work thing? Alex! Alex! No, you can't do that to her."

"Piper, wha-" It hits her just like that and Liz follows, they know what's running through Piper's mind. _Too high. Work thing_ and Liz is panicking.

"Fuck you, Piper! I'm not in that business anymore. I would-" She turns to Liz almost ashamed, her rage quickly faltering if only to clarify, "I would never use you as a mule, you're a kid. She's a kid, Piper!" Her voice cracks and there's hurt when she looks at them.

Piper tries to calm herself down, thinking a mile a second, "Then?"

"Don't play that with me. This is fucking new, even for you. Using a kid to trick me. No, I expect shit like this from you," she drags her eyes behind Piper, they're glassy now and Liz can't help be stunned at this entire scenario and begins to weep, Alex continues, "but you? Why would you do this to me? I never hurt you, why would you let her drag you into this?"

They stand there. No one says a word. And Alex avoids staring at Piper for too long. She's trembling, every fiber in her body is singing Piper's name, but she's not a toy. She can't play this game with them.

Both the older woman and the young girl are startled by the slamming of the door. Just like that, the brunette is gone.

"Piper, I'm sorry. I thought-"

"Neither of us knew?" Liz shakes her head timidly. This is the smallest she's ever looked and Piper can't be angry at her. "It's okay, I'll fix this. Just stay right here."

And then there was one.

…..

Her heart is pumping, running down the steps for what felt like an eternity. She doesn't know what she'll say. She can't even put it in perspective that this is Alex who she's chasing after. It's all too familiar, funny, in a sadistic _life really does like fucking with us_ type of way. Yet she needs to fix this, for Liz.

The door to the apartment swings open, no one in sight. Piper looks in every which way, her eyes finding their mark. Leaning against the wall, her arm supporting the weight of her body, as she gets closer she can hear her heaving.

"Al-ex" she has trouble saying it. It's been too long since that name has been caught in her throat, burning there, so that when she speaks, ashes of "Alex" drape over every syllable that leaves her mouth. Almost reaching to tap her shoulder, she stops afraid in that instant. Her body could combust and then what would happen to Liz?

"With all do respect, Pipes, fuck off….please"

"With all do respect, No."

She turns around, but her eyes are shut tight, Piper proceeds with her objective, "I didn't know. She had good intentions, but Liz doesn't get the history. I would never. SHE would never. If you know her, you'll know that."

As to punctuate Piper's sentence, emerald eyes make their appearance. They're staring in complete silence, but Alex is trying to read her. Whatever plan she had was quickly dissolving.

"You left her a mess up there."

"I can't do this. With you. With her and you." Her words are trying to convince her own being, but she tries hard to sound certain, she knows Piper.

"I'm not involved in this. Leave me out of that equation. It's you and her, only. I just want to tell you that she's young and broken. People walk out on her so often, she expects it. You know that feeling. Now, I'm in. Like all in. I can'-I won't leave her, but if you even have the slightest doubt, then do it. Walk away right now because any pieces left of her to put back together will be gone if you teeter and leave her later."

"And I'm sorry. I assumed the worst in you and it wasn't right."

Her mouth is unable to allow her words to come out. This is a Piper she has yet to know. Same form, different being. Her eyebrows furrow as Piper pivots on one foot and begins to make her way into the building.

"What if I fuck up? What if we fuck up, classic Vauseman style?" It bothers her that she sounds like she's pleading for her attention, but she shouts it anyway hoping to reach her. To stop her.

"This isn't about us."

The cold bites at her, or maybe it's the loneliness, or maybe it's the blonde's words.

Maybe it's the realization that there isn't an _us_ to argue about.

* * *

 **Yeah. I needed to move things along or else I'd stare at the draft for another year. Let me know what you think.**


End file.
